The ADON Emergency Dept / Patient Flow has a key role in the:

• Management of patient flow to and from the ED, Assessment units & medical Short Stay Unit to other departments within the Hospital and externally.
• Engage and influence the performance of the Hospital patient flow pathways and support systems to facilitate optimum efficiency and effectiveness and safe, responsive high quality patient services.
• Provide leadership and be accountable and responsible to further develop governance structures and within those have the authority to assess, plan, action, improve and review unscheduled care patient flow.
• In order to enhance the effectiveness of patient flow across the Hospital, engage and influence the prioritisation of patient access to diagnostic facilities in collaboration with clinicians and other key flow management personnel.
• Work and collaborate with colleagues, who have responsibility to drive processes essential to timely discharge such as Plan for every patient, discharge planning, predicted date of discharge; criteria led discharge, provision and use of area that support discharge/transit etc.
• Develop and enhance relationships across the Primary and Community Care structures creating a collaborative culture in order to improve integrated working and problem solving to reduce unnecessary attendances and support early discharge to the most appropriate setting.
• Collaborate with established clinical programmes to facilitate timely patient flow and on the introduction of new pathways, (clinical and organisational) and will monitor, using data, analysis and intelligence to determine effectiveness and report on the performance of the patient pathways to the unscheduled care governance group and the executive management team.
• Identify and support opportunities to develop IT practices to enhance patient care and flow, and to increase efficiency while decreasing workload e.g. the development of systems to facilitate rapid ordering, tracing, and review of diagnostic testing, electronic bed mapping and navigational hub.
• Ensure that relevant timely data is available to support decision making and to assess quality improvement deliverables.
• Involvement in ongoing workforce planning to ensure the availability of appropriate numbers, and levels, of staff to meet patient need. Including identifying opportunities for the development and roll out of advanced nursing practice roles which will increase the quality of patient care and clinical effectiveness, assist with departmental efficiency, and improve patient flow.
• Lead on the use of Quality improvement methodologies to ensure the delivery of quality improvement projects that will provide safer better healthcare across the Unscheduled Care patient pathway.
• Lead on the Quality Assurance and Verification agenda to ensure the delivery of safer better healthcare across the Unscheduled Care Patient Pathway.
• While recognising that the escalation policy contains automatic trigger, the ADON will be responsible for ensuring that the policy is promptly implemented and recorded as implemented in accordance with the provisions of the escalation policy, and to ensure that the Escalation policy overall, is subject to regular and rigorous review.
• Ensure as part of the management team that prompt action is taken to identify general & specific health & safety risks. This will include regular consultation with appointed H&S representatives in the ED.
• Work collaboratively with and be supported by the Quality Improvement Department to develop skills and competencies in the application of Quality Improvement theory & methodologies e.g. ED Microsystems.

This campaign will run in compliance with the Code of Practice prepared by the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA).

The CPSA is responsible for establishing the principles that should be followed when making an appointment. These are set out in the CPSA Code of Practice. The Code outlines the standards that should be adhered to at each stage of the selection process and sets out the review and appeal mechanisms open to candidates should they be unhappy with a selection process.

The CPSA Code of Practice can be accessed via https://www.cpsa.ie/.

The RCSI Hospital Group includes the following hospitals;

• Beaumont Hospital
• Cavan General Hospital
• Connolly Hospital
• Louth County Hospital
• Monaghan Hospital
• Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital
• Rotunda Hospital

The Academic Partner for the Group is the RCSI.

RCSI Hospital Group provides a national service and a regional service to Dublin and Dublin North East and is committed to the provision of world class care, exceptional clinical services with respect and compassion.

Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown is a major teaching hospital providing a range of acute medical and surgical services, day care, outpatient, diagnostic and support services.  Emergency services are provided on a 365-day, 24 hour basis.  Multi-disciplinary teams representative of medical, nursing, allied health professionals, management and general support staff play a pivotal role in the development, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of these services.  The hospital has a current bed complement of >300 beds.

The hospital is affiliated to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) for medical education, to Dublin City University (DCU) for nursing education and to University College Dublin (UCD), Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and the Institute of Technology for allied health professional education.

Connolly Hospital is one of 8 hospitals in the RCSI Hospitals Group covering a population of over 800,000 people.  Connolly Hospital’s Catchment Population of over 331,000 covers Dublin West, North Kildare and South Meath.

Management

• Professional reporting relationship is to the Director of Nursing
• Work collaboratively with the ADON for the Emergency Directorate.
• Participate in the appropriate management and co-ordination of effective and efficient patient flow to improve patient flow within the Emergency Department and associated assessment units.
• Take remedial action where necessary to improve patient flow and the patient experience.
• Responsible for developing and enhancing relationships creating collaborative for a across the Primary and Community Care structures in order to reduce unnecessary attendances and support early discharge to the most appropriate setting.
• Participate in the overall financial planning of the service including the assessment of priorities in pay and non-pay expenditure.
• Identify opportunities to develop IT practices to enhance patient care and flow, and to increase efficiency while decreasing workload e.g. the development of systems to facilitate rapid ordering, tracing, and review of diagnostic testing, electronic bed mapping and navigational hub. The ADON will ensure that relevant timely data is available to support decision making and to assess quality improvement deliverables.
• Ensures that critical human and material resources are allocated in an effective way, monitors activity levels and intervenes to align resources and maximize efficiencies.
• Collaborate and liaise with key stake holder’s national and local e.g. relevant clinical programmes, patient flow project, SDU, Quality Improvement projects, NMPD project leads.
• Assist with the direction and supervision of the nursing service in the Emergency Dept and Acute Medical Assessment Unit to provide a high level of patient care and clinical/functional area/sector management.
• Provide innovative and effective leadership, support and advice to nursing and allied staff at all levels to improve the quality of care in the Emergency Department & associated assessment units (Unscheduled Care).
• Maintain good employee relations & promote good communication with all relevant staff.
• Give support & counsel to nursing & allied staff as necessary & take action in accordance with agree service policy, if necessary.
• Plan & guide activities to provide optimum patient care in accordance with service policies, procedures & undertake audits as required.
• Ensure adherence to all standards & guidelines relating to professional nursing practice & behaviour.
• Undertake other relevant duties as may be determined from time to time by the Director of Nursing.
• Deputise for ADON Site Manager as required.

Professional /Clinical Responsibilities

• Provide a high level of professional and clinical leadership to maintain efficient patient flow in the Emergency Department and associated assessment units.
• Provide safe, comprehensive nursing care to service users within the guidelines laid out by Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
• Practice nursing according to Professional Clinical Guidelines, National and Area Health Service Executive guidelines, local policies, protocols and current legislation.
• Place the values of kindness, care compassion, trust and learning at the core of daily work.
• Manage, monitor and evaluate professional and clinical standards ensuring an evidence based care planning approach in conjunction with operational ADON.
• Manage own work load in accordance with the needs of the post.
• Participate in teams as appropriate, communicating and working in co-operation with the other team members, the wider multi disciplinary teams and integrated care teams.
• Facilitate co-ordination, cooperation and liaison across health care teams programmes and services.
• Formulate, manage and implement best practice policies and procedures.
• Ensure, as part of the team approach to patient care uphold the HSE’s policy service users and others are treated with dignity and respect and develop opportunities for service users to contribute to service improvements.
• Adhere and contribute to the development and maintenance of nursing standards, protocols and guidelines consistent with the highest standards of patient care.
• Maintain professional standards in relation to confidentiality, ethics and legislation.
• Assist in the development of divisional service policies and procedures and the implementation of same and to update them as required.
• Participate in development of quality initiatives including clinical audit, standard setting, investigation of complaints and untoward incidents, use of quality improvement methodologies.

Education and Training

Contribute to service development through appropriate continuous education, research initiatives, keeping up to date with nursing and relevant literature, recent nursing and relevant research and new developments in nursing management patient flow management, education and practice and attend staff study days as considered appropriate.

• Provide support/advice to those engaging in continuous professional development in his/her area of responsibility.
• Participate in the identification, development and delivery of induction, education, training and development programmes for nursing and non-nursing staff in conjunction of operational ADON.
• In respect of Patient flow, participate in in-service training, orientation programmes all nursing staff.
• Provide support supervision and professional development of appropriate staff in respect of patient flow.
• Engage in performance review processes including personal development planning by setting own objectives and providing and receiving feedback.

Health & Safety/ Risk Management:

•  Ensure as part of the management team that prompt action is taken to identify general and specific health and safety risks. This will include regular consultation with appointed H&S representatives in the ED & Assessment units.
• In addition, the post-holder will introduce appropriate risk elimination measures, or where this is not possible will introduce risk mitigation management measures. The process of monitoring and responding to Health and Safety (H&S) concerns will be ongoing.
• Ensure that effective safety procedures are developed and managed to comply with statutory obligations Be aware of risk management issues, identify risks and take appropriate action.
• Comply with the policies, procedures and safe professional practice of the Irish Healthcare System by adhering to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.
• Assist in the development, implementation and review of Health and Safety statements, as appropriate.
• Document appropriately and report any near misses, hazards and accidents and bring them to the attention of the relevant person(s).
• Maintain a feedback mechanism and report to senior management where appropriate.
• Work in a safe manner with due care and attention to the safety of self and others.
• Ensure adherence to policies in relation to the care and safety of any equipment supplied for the fulfilment of duty. Ensure advice of relevant stakeholders is sought prior to procurement.

The post holder has a duty to familiarise themselves with the relevant organisational policies:

• Continuous Quality Improvement Initiatives, Document Control.
•  Information Management Systems, Risk Management Strategy and
•  Policies, Hygiene Related Policies, Procedures and Standards
•  Decontamination Code of Practise.
•   Infection Control Policies.
•  Safety Statement, Health & Safety Policies/Fire Procedure Data Protection and confidentiality Policies.
•  Strategy for People Management.
•  Trust in care.

Professional Qualifications, Experience, etc

Eligible applicants will be those who on the closing date for the competition:

• Are registered, or be eligible for registration in the General Nurse Division, and other divisions as relevant to the specific service, of the Register of Nurses and Midwives, as appropriate, maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (Bord Altranais agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann).

AND

• Have 7 years post registration nursing experience and 3 years nursing management experience at a minimum of CNM2 in an acute setting.

AND

• Possess a post graduate qualification at not less than level 8 (QQI) in health care or management related area.

AND

• Candidates must possess the requisite clinical, leadership managerial and administrative knowledge and ability for the proper discharge of the office

Post Specific Requirements

• Demonstrate significant Nursing experience as relevant to the post to include clinical practice in an Emergency Department or in a related Assessment Unit or patient flow/bed management.
•  ED experience is desirable but not essential.

Annual Registration

Practitioners must maintain live annual registration on the General Nursing Division of the Nurses & Midwifery Register maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Registration Board (Bord Altranais agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann).

Age

The Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Act, 2018* set 70 years as the compulsory retirement age for public servants.

Public Servants not affected by this legislation:

Public servants recruited between 1 April 2004 and 31 December 2012 (new entrants) have no compulsory retirement age.   Public servants recruited since 1^st January 2013 are members of the Single Pension Scheme and have a compulsory retirement age of 70.

Health

Candidates for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Character

Candidates for and any person holding the office must be of good character.

Please note that appointment to and continuation in posts that require statutory registration is dependent upon the post holder maintaining annual registration in the relevant division of the register maintained by Bord Altranais agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann (Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland).

Technical & Professional Expertise

Has a command over the technical/ professional skills and knowledge required within the job holder’s role and continues to upskill to maintain high professional standards and continuous professional development requirements.

Analytical Skills

Uses a logical reasoning process to break down and analyse information and data to support effective decision making and other related processes.

Flexibility and Adaptability

Works effectively within a variety of situations with individuals or groups.  Adapts one’s approach as the requirements of a situation changes; adjusts tasks and priorities when necessary.  Accepts that changes in one’s role may be required from time to time.

Leadership and Management

Manages performance to deliver team goals; demonstrates accountability for leading, directing, monitoring and evaluating RCSI Hospital Group services. Creates a climate in which people want to do their best. Promotes confidence and positive attitude; influences others to follow a common goal.

Building & Maintaining Relationships

Builds and maintains relationships with a network of people. Recognises the two way nature of relationships and works to develop mutually beneficial partnerships. Interacts with others in a manner that builds respect and fosters trust.

Commitment to Quality & Risk Management

The ability to focus on understanding stakeholder’s needs and expectations and to respond effectively and efficiently to them. Has a good knowledge of and is committed to offer a quality service through the achievement of goals, accreditation standards, other organisation/department standards and risk management frameworks and guidelines.

Problem Solving & Decision Making

Identifies and solves problems by understanding the situation, seeking additional information, developing and weighing alternatives, and choosing the most appropriate course of action given the circumstances.

This Job Description is intended as a basic guide to the scope and responsibilities of the position and is subject to regular review and amendment. The role holder will be required to be flexible in this position and is expected to facilitate working additional hours on occasion, when requested.

The RCSI Hospital Group is an Equal Opportunities Employer.